Spiced rhubarb compote is made simply by roasting fresh rhubarb with sugar, cardamom and ginger in the oven and delicious over ice cream or pancakes.

It's rhubarb season here in Maine! One of our first crops each spring - and a perennial - rhubarb is so easy to grow once you find a spot it likes. And it likes chicken manure, so it's the perfect crop for all of us chicken keepers! 
Strawberry rhubarb pie is one of my all-time favorite desserts to make, but since our strawberries aren't ready yet (you've got to check out my strawberry rhubarb garden by the way!), and there's already rhubarb to be picked, I decided to turn some of the larger stalks into a warm, spiced rhubarb compote, perfect for these still-chilly-in-the-morning May days. 
My spiced rhubarb compote is made by roasting fresh rhubarb in the oven with sugar, ginger and some cardamom. 
Compotes, which are delicious over ice cream or pancakes or stirred into yogurt, are simply cut up fruits cooked with sugar and spices and can be made with pretty much any type of fruit and any combination of spices that you like. 
Compotes tend to be runnier than a jam or jelly, although you can cook down the liquid more if you wish or add some cornstarch to thicken it up a bit to use for, say, a pie filling.
Popular in Europe since the Medieval ages, the word "compote" is derived from the Latin word "compositus" which merely means "mixture".  

The warm ginger and cardamom I used complements the tartness of the rhubarb and a vanilla bean adds some comforting homespun sweetness.
Although traditionally compote is cooked on the stove, I love to roast the rhubarb in the oven instead. I also love to eat this delicious sweet treat right out of the jar on a spoon, but it's also delicious over homemade vanilla ice cream as well. 
In less than an hour, most of the time being hands off with this easy oven method, you too could be dipping your spoon into a jar of sweet sour spicy rhubarb compote.
Scroll to the bottom for the printable recipe.

Spiced Rhubarb Compote

Makes about a pint.
3 heaping cups fresh rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2" pieces (about one pound)1 cup sugar1" fresh grated ginger1/4 teaspoon ground cardamomVanilla bean, split and scraped

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Toss the rhubarb slices with the other ingredients in a casserole dish and cover with foil. Bake for about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft. 

Remove from the oven, discard the vanilla bean, and mash the rhubarb with a wooden spoon to a lumpy, semi-runny consistency. Cool, then pour into a pint mason jar and refrigerate. 
The compote will last for up to 2 weeks in the fridge and is delicious either chilled or at room temperature or you can reheat it on the stove.

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